UK! London Murder, Serial Killer London, Jack the Ripper 2025.1.13-1.13

A descendant of one of Jack the Ripper’s victims has demanded a new inquest into one of history’s most notorious serial killers, after DNA evidence suggested the murderer was a Polish barber.

The true identity of Jack the Ripper, whose grisly murders terrorized the murky slums of Whitechapel in east London in 1888, has been a mystery ever since.

There have been dozens of suspects, from royalty and prime ministers down to bootmakers.

After extracting DNA from a shawl recovered from the scene of one of the killings, Jack the Ripper sleuth Russell Edwards claimed in 2014 that the murderer was Aaron Kosminski, an emigre from Poland, who worked as a barber.

The story goes that the shawl came from the murder scene of the Ripper’s fourth victim, Catherine Eddowes, on September 30, 1888.

At Edwards’ request, Doctor Jari Louhelainen, a senior lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University, isolated seven small segments of DNA from blood stains on the shawl.

They were matched with the DNA of Karen Miller, a direct descendant of Eddowes, confirming her blood was on the shawl.

“On the testing, the first result showed a 99.2% match. Since the DNA has two complementary strands, we went on and tested the other DNA strand, which game a perfect 100% match,” Louhelainen told the Liverpool Echo newspaper.

DNA from semen stains on the garment were matched with a descendant of Kosminski.

Edwards has demanded an inquest into the unsolved killing, saying the DNA evidence warrants it.

Miller backed the call in an interview with the Daily Mail published on Monday.

“The name Jack the Ripper has become sensationalized. It has gone down in history as this famous character,” she told the paper. “People have forgotten about the victims, who did not have justice at the time. Now we need this inquest to legally name the killer.”

Miller added: “Having the real person legally named in a court which can consider all the evidence would be a form of justice for the victims.”

Kosminski’s descendants have also supported the inquest, the Daily Mail reported. According to the newspaper, Kosminski’s great-great-great-niece Amanda Poulos said: “I’m more than happy to finally establish what really happened.”

Some have cast doubt on Edwards’ findings.

The research has not been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, meaning the claims cannot be independently verified or the methodology scrutinized.

Under the law, it is up to the attorney general to approve a further inquest.

Two years ago, then the attorney general, Michael Ellis, refused the request, saying there was not sufficient new evidence.

Miller said on Monday the time was right to reopen the case.

“It would mean a lot to me, to my family, to a lot of people to finally have this crime solved,” she added.

Kosminski was born in Klodawa in central Poland on September 11, 1865.

His family fled the imperial Russian anti-Jewish pogroms and emigrated to east London in the early 1880s. He lived close to the murder scenes.

Some reports say he was taken in by the police to be identified by a witness who had seen him with one of the victims.

Although a positive identification was made, the witness refused to give incriminating evidence, meaning the police had little option but to release Kosminski.

He entered a workhouse in 1889, where he was described on admission as “destitute.” He was discharged later that year but soon ended up in a mental asylum.

He died from gangrene in an asylum on March 24, 1919, and was buried three days later at East Ham Cemetery in east London.

As CBS News previously reported, former FBI agent John Douglas referred to the homicides as “lust murders,” which means the killer attacked the genital areas of his victims. In Douglas’ opinion, this was a way to act out his fantasy of domination, cruelty and mutilation of women.

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2025.1.13 Calls for Jack the Ripper inquest after DNA breakthrough
Blood connected to suspect could finally reveal killer’s identity 130 years later

Relatives of Jack the Ripper’s victims are calling for a fresh inquest after DNA evidence emerged that may finally identify the killer.

At least five women were murdered by an unidentified serial killer during the autumn of 1888 in the Whitechapel district of London in a case that has remained unsolved for 130 years.

But the victims’ descendants are now calling for a fresh inquest after a bloodstained shawl was shown to contain the DNA of someone thought to be the notorious killer.

Aaron Kosminski, who was a Polish barber, was a suspect at the time but was never arrested because police had no evidence linking him to the killings.

But the shawl, said to have been found on the body of Catherine Eddowes, the killer’s fourth victim, was found to contain both her DNA and that of Kosminski’s.

It was purchased at auction by Russell Edwards, an author and Ripper researcher, who said “justice can be served” by finally naming the killer. He has hired a legal team to try to secure another inquest.

Karen Miller, 53, is three times great granddaughter of Eddowes and provided her DNA, which was a match to the sample on the shawl.

“The name Jack the Ripper has become sensationalised, it has gone down in history as this famous character,” she told the Daily Mail.

“It has all been about him, this iconic name, but people have forgotten about the victims who did not have justice at the time.

“What about the real name of the person who did this? Having the real person legally named in a court which can consider all the evidence would be a form of justice for the victims.

“We have got the proof, now we need this inquest to legally name the killer.

“It would mean a lot to me, to my family, to a lot of people to finally have this crime solved.”

Descendants of the Ripper’s other victims – Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride and Mary Jane Kelly – have also backed the campaign.

Sue Parlour, whose husband Andy is distantly related to Ms Nichols, said: “There was no justice for these victims at the time. It was all such a long time ago.

“But it would mean a lot to finally be able to name the killer, to get some closure on this.

“These women have been dismissed as just prostitutes like they did not matter, but they did.”

Kosminski’s descendants have also supported the move.

Amanda Poulos, his three-times great-niece, said: “I’m more than happy to finally establish what really happened.”

The coroner in the original 1888 inquest returned a verdict of “wilful murder”.

If granted permission by Richard Hermer, the Attorney General, an inquest could go ahead. Sir Michael Ellis refused permission for a new inquiry when he was attorney general two years ago.

Dr Tim Sampson, a barrister, has written to Lord Hermer. He stated that had the shawl been available at the time it “would have been justifiable for the coroner to charge and then seek to have Aaron Kosminski prosecuted for both the murder of Ms Eddowes and the other four victims”.

The case would go to a High Court judge to consider whether permission would be granted.

Mr Edwards said: “A second inquest is the only way of confirming what happened.

“As we now have identified the true murderer with a wealth of evidence putting the man we named as the Ripper in the frame, we want justice to be served.”